Just before 2.00pm on 13th December a man in his thirties was found collapsed and unconscious in the public toilets in Cinderford. The man who found him had dragged him out of the toilets as he shouted for help. A member of the public, Mr Michael Coates, was visiting Cinderford on a trip to the cinema with his daughter and happened to be close by in the car park. Mr Coates, a trained first aider, ran across to assist and he quickly put the unconscious man into the recovery position.

A PC and PCSOs Mike Shuttleworth and Sue Pritchard, who were on foot patrol in the area, arrived and began to assist in administering the life-saving first aid. The man was given mouth to mouth resuscitation and manual chest compressions.

A defibrillator was brought from the Co- Op Store in Dockham Road and they continued cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The life-saving first aid was administered for 30 minutes, during which time the man stopped breathing twice. Also on hand was receptionist, Jane Snow, from the Pet Barn Veterinary surgery who brought some blankets out to keep the man warm.

Gary Young, Operations Officer, for the South West Ambulance Service passed on his thanks and commented on the excellent work by the PC, the PCSOs and the public in saving this man’s life. He said “the officers had obtained an automated defibrillator and were performing high quality CPR when the ambulance arrived. The medical care performed at an incident by the police can enable our crews to continue with advanced life support on patients and the life-saving skills of the three officers certainly would have contributed to this patient’s outcome.”

Inspector Andy Johnson of the Forest Local Policing Area said “Gloucestershire Constabulary continue to provide quality first aid training for all officers as part of their annual refresher training programme. This enables lives to be saved across both rural and urban areas working closely with other emergency services. We are regularly seeing our officers intervening in life threatening situations and demonstrating a depth of understanding and practical application of skills that save lives.”